THREE NEW MEET RECORDS AND A SPECTACULAR MEN’S 1500M EVENT MARK THE HIGHLIGHTS OF DAY FOUR AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS
EUGENE — On the fourth day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field at Hayward Field, a lively crowd cheered as meet records were shattered in three events and thrilling finishes occurred in four others on Monday night.
Cole Hocker led the charge in the men’s 1500 meters, breaking a meet record that had been tied in Saturday’s semifinal. Hocker’s impressive time of 3:30.59, a personal best, placed him as the No. 6 all-time U.S. performer. The first eight men across the finish line surpassed the previous meet record.
American mile record holder Yared Nuguse set a fast early pace, leading through 400, 800, and 1200 meters. Hocker moved up on Nuguse’s shoulder in the final stretch and sprinted to victory, with Nuguse finishing second with a season-best 3:30.86 and Hobbs Kessler taking third with a personal best of 3:31.53. Vincent Ciattei made a strong push but finished fourth with a personal best of 3:31.78.
Elliott Cook of Oregon placed eighth, making it the deepest all-American race in U.S. history, breaking the previous Trials record set by Mathew Centrowitz in 2016 and tied by Nuguse in the semifinals.
The second meet record on the track came from a thrilling race between Elle St. Pierre and defending USATF champion Elise Cranny. St. Pierre, who set an American record in the mile earlier this year, edged out Cranny for the win with a time of 14:40.34, breaking the previous record set in 2000.
Cranny was a close second, and Karissa Schweizer secured third place. NCAA champion Parker Valby set the early pace but was overtaken in the final kilometer by the more experienced St. Pierre, Cranny, and Schweizer.
Valarie Allman set a new meet record in the women’s discus, with a throw of 70.89 meters on her first attempt, the best by an American this year. Four other women threw over 61 meters, but last year’s World Champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins did not advance to the final after three fouls.
In the women’s 800 meters, a dramatic fall by American record holder and reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu left the path clear for Nia Akins to defend her USATF title with a personal best of 1:57.36. Allie Wilson finished second, and NCAA champion Juliette Whittaker took third.
Anna Hall, the Budapest heptathlon silver medalist, showcased her recovery from injury and surgery by scoring 6,614 points, including a season-best javelin throw and an impressive 800 meters. The contest for the other two spots on the Paris team was intense, with Chari Hawkins and Taliyah Brooks securing their places.
Quincy Hall won his first Trials title in the men’s 400 meters, setting a personal best of 44.17, ahead of 2022 world champion Michael Norman and Olympic debutant Chris Bailey. Maryland teenager Quincy Wilson finished sixth.
Kentucky’s Charity Hufnagel and Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis won the women’s high jump and men’s long jump, respectively. Hufnagel broke Vashti Cunningham’s six-meet winning streak, while Davis held on for the win with a jump of 8.20 meters.
Grant Holloway equaled the seventh-fastest time in U.S. history in the men’s 110 hurdles, and Gabbi Jennings had the fastest time in the women’s 3000 steeplechase first round, advancing to the final with no notable casualties.
**EUGENE** — On the fourth day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field at Hayward Field, a lively crowd cheered as meet records were shattered in three events and thrilling finishes occurred in four others on Monday night.
Cole Hocker led the charge in the men’s 1500 meters, breaking a meet record that had been tied in Saturday’s semifinal. Hocker’s impressive time of 3:30.59, a personal best, placed him as the No. 6 all-time U.S. performer. The first eight men across the finish line surpassed the previous meet record. American mile record holder Yared Nuguse set a fast early pace, leading through 400, 800, and 1200 meters. Hocker moved up on Nuguse’s shoulder in the final stretch and sprinted to victory, with Nuguse finishing second with a season-best 3:30.86 and Hobbs Kessler taking third with a personal best of 3:31.53. Vincent Ciattei made a strong push but finished fourth with a personal best of 3:31.78. Elliott Cook of Oregon placed eighth, making it the deepest all-American race in U.S. history, breaking the previous Trials record set by Mathew Centrowitz in 2016 and tied by Nuguse in the semifinals.
The second meet record on the track came from a thrilling race between Elle St. Pierre and defending USATF champion Elise Cranny. St. Pierre, who set an American record in the mile earlier this year, edged out Cranny for the win with a time of 14:40.34, breaking the previous record set in 2000. Cranny was a close second, and Karissa Schweizer secured third place. NCAA champion Parker Valby set the early pace but was overtaken in the final kilometer by the more experienced St. Pierre, Cranny, and Schweizer.
Valarie Allman set a new meet record in the women’s discus, with a throw of 70.89 meters on her first attempt, the best by an American this year. Four other women threw over 61 meters, but last year’s World Champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins did not advance to the final after three fouls.
In the women’s 800 meters, a dramatic fall by American record holder and reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu left the path clear for Nia Akins to defend her USATF title with a personal best of 1:57.36. Allie Wilson finished second, and NCAA champion Juliette Whittaker took third.
Anna Hall, the Budapest heptathlon silver medalist, showcased her recovery from injury and surgery by scoring 6,614 points, including a season-best javelin throw and an impressive 800 meters. The contest for the other two spots on the Paris team was intense, with Chari Hawkins and Taliyah Brooks securing their places.
Quincy Hall won his first Trials title in the men’s 400 meters, setting a personal best of 44.17, ahead of 2022 world champion Michael Norman and Olympic debutant Chris Bailey. Maryland teenager Quincy Wilson finished sixth.
Kentucky’s Charity Hufnagel and Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis won the women’s high jump and men’s long jump, respectively. Hufnagel broke Vashti Cunningham’s six-meet winning streak, while Davis held on for the win with a jump of 8.20 meters.
Grant Holloway equaled the seventh-fastest time in U.S. history in the men’s 110 hurdles, and Gabbi Jennings had the fastest time in the women’s 3000 steeplechase first round, advancing to the final with no notable casualties.